Understanding the Apple MacBook and Bluetooth Connectivity

You should know whether your MacBook supports Bluetooth connections. However, latest Apple laptops have internal Bluetooth component. If you’re using an earlier Mac laptop without built in Bluetooth, though, you’re certainly out of the Bluetooth loop. Even so, you don’t have to pitch your faithful Mac if it doesn’t yet communicate to other Bluetooth-enabled devices! You can add Bluetooth feature to your Macbook with a widely available USB Bluetooth adapter. A regular Bluetooth adapter sells online for approximately $30.

Your external Bluetooth adapter should have automatic data encryption capability, which can protect your Macbook if there’s a Bluetooth cracker within about thirty to sixty feet of your Macbook. The adaptor may link with up to eight other Bluetooth devices as the same time. (Come to think of it, if there are a lot of people within 60 feet of your MacBook Pro during a LAN party bash, you’ll guess this feature really is important!) You’d expect any modern and high-tech operating systems like Mac OS X should come with basic Bluetooth supports. You’d be right; however Apple goes one step further.

Your Macbook comes with System Preferences and utility software to help you get your Macbook connected with nearby Bluetooth devices.

Choose the System Preferences icon located in the Dock. With the Bluetooth pane, you can

* Create new Bluetooth devices. Just click the ‘Set Up New Device’ to open the Bluetooth Setup Assistant utility, which sets up other Bluetooth devices for connection with Leopard. Read the onscreen instructions to configure a number of common Bluetooth gadgets (including mice, cellphones, keyboards, and printers), or you can also choose Other, Setup Assistant will looks for other Bluetooth devices and adjust the settings so that those devices are ready to party with your MacBook. Be sure that Bluetooth devices are discoverable and in range (available for connection with your Macbook) before you open the Bluetooth Setup Assistant utility. Read your user manual to understand how to set a Bluetooth device as “discoverable”, the device should be about twenty feet away (or less) from your laptop.
* Set up Bluetooth connections. Choose the Advanced button to establish, remove, enable, or disable a Bluetooth connection, using a Bluetooth connection as virtual serial port (for the simple file transfer) or as virtual modem (for bidirectional transfer, including using Internet connection through a Bluetooth cellphone).

You may also specify if a Bluetooth port should be encrypted.

It is recommended that you activate the Show Bluetooth Status located in the Menu Bar check box. Luckily, the Bluetooth menu allows you to conserve power by disabling your Bluetooth feature until you need it. It is quite convenient to toggle your Macbook’s discovery status and also configure a device or send a file. It’s also easy to know which devices are connected to your Macbook.

If you won’t be connected with Bluetooth devices while you are on the road, disactivating a Bluetooth service on a Macbook will help save battery power. There is another handy Bluetooth resource, the Bluetooth File Exchange. You have to launch Bluetooth File Exchange the old-fashioned way; just go to your Utilities folder, inside the Applications folder. It’s quite similar to a traditional file transfer protocol (FTP) application, choose the Bluetooth File Exchange icon to go to the file selection dialog; then browse the file you want to send to a connected Bluetooth device. You can also choose to browse the file in other networked Bluetooth device so that you know what the user of that device is offering.

You may also configure your default settings for file exchange in the Sharing pane, which is located in the System Preferences. Just click the Sharing icon and then choose the Bluetooth Sharing check-box to display the setting parameters. Here you can manage what Leopard does when you get files or PIM (Personal Information Manager) data with Bluetooth File Exchange. For example, with this setting, Leopard can

Ask you for permission to receive a file or Personal Information Manager item

* Accept any files and PIM items without any prompting or restriction
* Keep all incoming items and files to a specified folder
* Restrict file-sharing only for the items and files in the specified folder when other Bluetooth devices browse your MacBook.

It is recommended that you use these default setting in Leopard for file exchange:

* You know when someone’s sending you something.
* Anything you receive will be saved in your Downloads folder.
* If you turn on the File Transfer, you can allow others to see the content of your Public folder.

Even so, feel free to enable, disable, and adjust the setting to your heart’s content.